Capitalist Development and Democracy or Creating Effective Groups

Capitalist Development and Democracy

Author: Dietrich Rueschemeyer

It is a commonplace claim of Western political discourse that capitalist development and democracy go hand in hand. Cross-national statistical research on political democracy supports this claim. By contrast, comparative historical studies carried out within a political economy approach argue that economic development was and is compatible with multiple political forms.
The authors offer a fresh and persuasive resolution to the controversy arising out of these contrasting traditions. Focusing on advanced industrial countries, Latin America, and the Caribbean, they find that the rise and persistence of democracy cannot be explained either by an overall structural correspondence between capitalism and democracy or by the role of the bourgeoisie as the agent of democratic reform. Rather, capitalist development is associated with democracy because it transforms the class structure, enlarging the working and middle classes, facilitating their self-organization, and thus making it more difficult for elites to exclude them. Simultaneously, development weakens the landed upper class, democracy's most consistent opponent.
The relationship of capitalist development to democracy, however, is not mechanical. As the authors show, it depends on a complex interplay of three clusters of power: the balance of power among social classes, power relations between the state and society, and transnational structures of economic and political power. Looking to the future, the book concludes with some reflections on current prospects for the development of stable democracy in Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Interesting book: Fall Family and Friends or Twelve

Creating Effective Groups: The Art of Small Group Communication

Author: Randy Fujishin

The second edition of Creating Effective Groups provides a straightforward yet comprehensive introduction to the study of small group communication, including the areas of group decision making, group problem solving, group dynamics, leadership, and team building. This practical book gives students the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to communicate more effectively and interact more productively in the small group setting. This updated edition of Creating Effective Groups contains new sections on reducing speaking anxiety, increasing intercultural understanding-including the S.O.A.R. technique for intercultural awareness-and more. The book also presents new end-of-chapter exercises. With the help of this book, any group member can learn the skills necessary to participate in and lead a task group in an effective, productive, and healthy manner.

About the Author:
Randy Fujishin is a speech communications professor at West Valley College

Table of Contents:

Preface     xi
Working in a Group     1
Working in Groups     2
Four Elements of a Problem-Solving Group     3
The Small Group as a System     5
The Power of One     7
Characteristics of Groups     7
Individual and Group Exercises     14
Discovering Yourself     17
Being Open to Self-Discovery     18
Spending Time by Yourself     20
Self-Discovery Inventories     22
Speaking Kindly to Yourself     26
Accepting Yourself     29
Accepting Others     29
Individual and Group Exercises     30
Expressing Yourself Clearly     33
Communication Is a Learned Behavior     34
Five Roles That Prevent Clear Expression     35
The Communication Process     36
I-Statements     41
Four Levels of Communication     42
Gender Differences in Conversational Strategies     45
Guidelines for Speaking Clearly     47
Reducing Anxiety When Speaking     49
Individual and Group Exercises     51
Listening for Understanding     53
The Importance of Listening     54
The Process of Listening     54
Poor Listening Styles     55
Barriers to Listening     57
Acceptance: A Requirement for Listening     57
Listening for Understanding: Active Listening     60
Advantages of Active Listening     65
Guidelines for Active Listening     66
Intercultural Awareness     67
S.O.A.R. Technique     70
Individual and Group Exercises     73
Problem Solving in Groups     75
Myths of Small Group Problem Solving     76
Decision-Making Techniques     79
Discussion Questions     82
The Standard Problem-Solving Agenda     84
The Circular Nature of Problem Solving     88
Being More Creative     89
Individual and Group Exercises     92
Preparing for Discussion     95
You Don't Know Everything     96
We Can Always Know More     97
Where to Research     97
What to Research     101
Constructing an Information Sheet     103
Using Visual Aids     104
Testing Evidence and Reasoning     105
Recognizing Logical Fallacies     110
Being an Ethical Group Member     112
Individual and Group Exercises     114
Guiding Discussion     117
Guiding Discussion to a Shared Path     118
Task-Guiding Behaviors     119
Social-Guiding Behaviors     123
Being an Effective Follower     125
Individual and Group Exercises     127
Leading a Group     129
What Is Leadership?     130
Approaches to Leadership     131
The Attitude of the Servant Leader     135
Leading an Effective Meeting     136
Taking Care of Yourself as the Leader     141
Individual and Group Exercises     143
Building a Cohesive Group     145
The Social Dimension     146
Feeling Successful     147
Feeling Connected     149
Feeling Valued     151
Feeling Supported     153
Trusting Others     155
Groupthink: When Groups Are Too Cohesive     157
Individual and Group Exercises     158
Managing Conflict     161
A Different Approach to Conflict     162
Myths of Conflict     163
Advantages of Conflict     164
Three Types of Group Conflict     166
Dealing with Procedural Conflict     167
Dealing with Substantive Conflict     168
Dealing with Interpersonal Conflict     170
Specific Interventions for Dysfunctional Behavior     172
Forgiveness     175
Individual and Group Exercises     180
Afterword     183
Bibliography     185
Index     189
About the Author     193